Acetylene-generator.



iNo. 851,613.

l PATENTED APR. 2s, 1907. D. BARNARD. y

ACETYLBNE GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MMG Nw,

.y Lrl PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

D. BARNARD. AGBTYLENB GENERATOR.

APPLIGATIOH FILED HAY 15, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' DAVIS BARNARD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO BARNARD LIGHT AND HEATjCOMPANY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPO- l -RATION OF CALIFORNIA.

4AGETYLENE--C-ENERATOFL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented `April 23, 1907.

Application filed May l5. 1905. Serial No. 260,31.

tors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of acetylenegenerators,`wl1erein carbid is charged into the generating tank intermittently to produce the gas in accordance with the 'demands on the machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine that is unitary in form and construction, the containing parts for the generator and gas holder forming a compact substantially unyielding body, thereby avoiding considerable work and trouble in setting up the machine, and also avoiding risk of relative displacement of the parts after setting up, by settling of the supports, such as is liable to occur with generators wherein the generating and gas holder tanks are separate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a generator of extreme compactness and minimum size for a given capacity, and of 'convenient shape for packing, transportation and use: i Another object of the inventlon is to en- 'able the generator to be thoroughly cleaned by flushing out without substantially. changing thewater level therein or admission of air thereto. To attain this result, means are provided for effectively agitating the material in the generator tan r throughout the bottom portion thereof, so as to bring all the solid matter therein into suspension `in the' water. I Y

A further object of the'invention is to insure that the carbid when charged into the generator tank will be brought into eective contact with the liquid, this being effected by an automatic agitator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a enerator which will work eiiectively and safyely under widely varying .temperatures.

An important feature of the invention-in connection with all the above mentioned objects, is that the generator is constructed construction givin the unity and compactness above referre to, and also enabling effective o eration of the agitating means for stirring t e sediment of lime and for forcing the carbid into Contact with the liquid.

A further object of the invention is to provide for accurately measuring the charge, and for positive full charging movement at each operation without possibility of sticking or partial operation.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line )isn-X3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the carbid receptacle and feeding means, on the line )i4-X4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 1s a section on line )i5-X5, Fig. 1, showing the oppera'tive means for the carbid feed. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the valve or plunger member for the carbid feed on the line X- X", Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of said plunger member on 'line )C7-X7, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective of the sediment agitator.. Fig. 9 is a vertical section showing a modified form of the carbid feed. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic plan of another embodiment of the invention. Fig. 11 is a section on line X11-X, Fig. 1..

1 designates the case or containing means .consisting of a rectangular shell formed for within said well, space or chamber and beingA guided by lugs 3 thereon, working on suitable frame 6.

7-desi nates the water supply pipe or connection eading to the generator chamber or tank 3, provided with a suitable valve indicated at 8.

9 designates the combined drainage overlow pipe and flushing-outlet which is conlOO nected to the tank or chamber 3 by means of a riser 10 formed as a rectangular extension on one end of the easel, andcommunicating at its lower end with the chamber 3, the pipe 9 leading fromthe side of said riser at the height or level at which it is desired the water shall stand inthe riser, it being understood -that this level will be somewhat higher thanthe level inthe generator tank, due to pressure of the gas in the latter. The riser 10 is o en at the top. 11 designates ariser fprme at the other end of the rectangular casing "1, said riser being alsoy preferably formed asa rectangular extension on the end o'fthecasing, and pipe 12`extends upwardly frornth'elower part of the riser 11 to above the level of the water within the gasometer bell 5, said pi e opening at its upper end into the ls ace wit in the -bell so as to carry the gas thereinfdown into the lower end of the riser 11, in which the gas rises through a suitable iltering' or scrubbing material 13 tol an outlet= 14, from which-the usual connection is made to the burners. Y

lThe pipe 'l'extends from the space within the gasom'eter bell downwardly to the lower part of the'l generator and is connected throughthe partition 2 to the pipe 16 leading upwardly and communicating at its upper end with the space above the water -leve in the generator' tank or chamber 3.

'17 designates the carbid receptacle Aor casing Apreferablyformedl as anV upward extension from the to of casing 1, a funnel or inclined floor 18be1ng provided therein to cause the carbid' to ravitate toward a discharge a ert'ure 18;: t is funnel is preferably someat above the casing 1, so as to leave a.

space below said funnel and within the ex-L tensionl?, the pipes 16 extending upwardly into Athis space abovethe outlet of the carbid feeding means.

1 19 desi nates the charging hole for the carbid cham erv17, said hole being closed when 'the machineis in o eration by screw plug 19. The lcarbid .fee g meansj comprises a tube 42O preferably rectangular in shape and extending horizontally bel'ow the funnel 18, being attached to and carried by said funnel andcommunicating therewith. A. plunger member 21 sliding in said top reciprocates below the discharge outlet 18 to the funnel tol-feed the carbid toward the discharge end This re- 22' 4on rock vshaft 23l extending through the well of the 'carbid casing 17, said arm being connected to 'said plunger member by a link or rod 24 pivoted to the plunger member and to 'arm 22. Arm 22 also acts as a door or closure for the end of tube 20, to exclude moisture Ifrom vthe carbid when the latter` is not beingv fed. Riock shaft 23 extends l throughga side wall of thel carbid casing 17 aereas with means for operation thereof, to feed the carbid from time to time. Said operating means is controlled'by the gas-holder and is operated preferably through a 'connection which will give positive or full operation of the feed under all circumstances. For this purpose, shaft 23 may be provided with an overbalancing or double throw device, which may be any suitable construction, operated by weight or otherwise, to tend to move to either side from a central position. Said device may for example, consist of a weightcarrying tube 26 containing balls 27 ,v which or projection 3() extending -from the gasholder, the-latch 29 hanging in the path 'of said projection in such manner that as'the gasometer rises, it 'will engageunder said latch which is provided withstop means limiting its upward movement relativeI to the arm 28, so that the continued upward movement of the 'gas holder will'cause the tubular` overbalancing device or lever 26 to tip to the left of the horizontal plane as shown Fi 3, whereupon 'the balls 27 will roll tothe le t end thereof and forcibly complete this tipping 'motion' of the tube'ofthe' balance device.

This movement shiftsy the plunger 21 aforesaid, to 'the position shown in"'Fig. 41 and causes closure member 22 to bear against the end of the feed tube 2 0. On the downward movement of the gas holder, the 'stud or projection 30 strikes and depresses the tubular overbalancing device 26 and presses' the tube to overturn the same, causing theb'all's therein 'to fall toward the other endi This movement brings the carbid feed-plunger 21 to the position shown in dotted ylines in Fig. 4, causing expulsion ofa ydefinite amount of theca'rbid from the-tube 20. case,` the completion of the movement of the carbid-feed is. not dependent on' the com# pletion of the movement vof the gas-holder, the latter'onl'yhaving to tip or'overturn the overbalancing device which itself completes the movement. Arm 28l is preferablyipro'- vided with an'v extension 31 reaching upwardly therefrom to form a guard for maintaining properenga ing relationv between the projection 30; and t e overbalancing means; said projection 30 is preferably adjusted on the gasometer-b'ell as by means of a set screw'de'vice 30.

. The operating meansl for the carbid-feed is preferably' provided with a lost-motion connection. permitting the initial movement of the overbalancing device, previous toits In either v65 and is 'connected exteriorly of the casing i reaching the dead-center or overbalancing 13o arm 55 and afscrew 59, on a lug 6 0 on arm 55,

tube 26 being rotatably mounted on shaft 23,v

and carried by a stud shaft23. The above-` described connection gives a lost motion bei tween said shaft and tube, `and the extent of and the position of arms 55, 57, can be adA .tion thereof.

the lost motion can be adjustedf by screw 59,

justed by set screws 62, 63.

41', 41', designate taps for densatio' from the pi e 15 and purifier 11,. c The plunger 21 is s own as an inverted U- shaped member having closed walls 32, 32, at front and back, and open at each side and bottom, and' an'inverted V-shaped rail 33 extending longitudinally at theA bottom slightly below the level of ends 32, 32. so as to form a bearing face for the plunger. The edges ofends 32, 32, are beveled and rear end 32 is notched, all ofthese features being for the purpose of clearing the plunger of carbid and allowing it to move freely. 54 designates a stop on the plunger. i

The generator is cleaned out by flushing out all of the material ltherein through aforesaid outlet 9, and for this purpose it is nec-v essary to bring the solid material or sediment into suspension. This is effected by agitator 34 formed. as a rectangularopen-work frame of substantially the full width of the generator-tank 3, and having' projections 1,35 extending upwardgtherefrom, this agitator reciprocating endwise of the 'tank'so that substantially every portion of thebottom of thetank will be subjected to the stirring ae- This agitator is prefer'ablyoperated by means extending upwardly' through -the riser 10, this being a convenient means of extending the operating device to the outside of the machine, and also having the 'ad-V vantage that this operating means of itself serves as an agitator for the material within the riser.

with a handle 38 for manual operation. A cover or lid 39 is referably provided for the riser-10, said lid aving a perforation 40 to fit over the handle 38 when the lid is put in place, it being understood that saidlid is removed when lthe agitator is to be operated.'

vThe riser 10 communicates with the veneraton-tank solely near the bottom of said tank so that when the water in said tank is agi- 'tated only-the roily bottom lportion thereof finds its way into the riser` to be discharged therethrough. Since the lever 36 extends through the riser, the movement of said lever keeps the water agitated while it is passing through the riser, so that sediment will not collect at the bottom thereof.

drawing off con? Said operating means may consist of a lever 36 pivoted at 37 in the riser and=V pivoted at its'lowerend to the agitator 34,i said lever being provided at its upper end:

In machines of this type it is found that the carbid.4 sometimes has a tendency to accumulate on the surface of the liquid, particularly when the machine has been running diate lproximity to alarge mass ofwater,

whereas the conditions for safe and efficient generation are that the actionshould be .distributed over as large a-surface as possible and throughout yas large a mass of water as ,possible so as to keep dawn the' heat generated byjthedaction and expose all partsl ofthe carbid., to the action of the-liquida To overcome this'difiiculty, I provide anl agitating, stirring or mixing device that acts on the carbid fallingfin the generator tank, to force the-samedownwardly into the liquid. Said stirring o'r depressing device is preferablyfin the natur.e. of a-paddle Wheel, Vcomprising-radial arms, frames or stirring members 42`mounted onashaft 43, which extends through the side wallof tank 3 for con,

nection with the1operating means hereinafter' described. Such arms.l or lframes 42 may carry ribs 44 formed .forrexample of wirel netting or otherrforaminous material. This, stirringl device is preferably operated' automatically. by connection with the gas holder, the 4shaft' 43 carrying4 for example a toothed wheel 45'engaged by a paw] 46- on an arm 47 pivotally mounted ,on said shaft IOS and connected by a link or rod48 with one of the guide lugs 3 of the gas holder, so that'on each downward movement of the gasholder, the pawl 46en'gages tooth wheel 47. to cause partiall rotation of the stirring paddle wheel device 41..' l gas holder, the pawl will slip idly over the tooth wheel. t

A compact and efficient construction is afforded lby reasonv of the shaft 23 which is actuated by means including the vibrating operating arm 28, bein ixeddirectly to and forming a hinge for c osure 22, and said closure 22 being connected by a single link 24 to the lplunger 21, so Athat closure-22 forms a pivote'd arm adapted to transmitpower from the operatin means to the feed device.

.The operation o the machine is as follows: Rece tacle 17 is charged with carbid indicate at 50 and the generator tank 3 is eharged'with water which. is allowed to run in until it overflows at the outlet 9. The carbid feed is operated. manually or otherwise to feed vsufficient carbid into the gen- IIO On the upward ymovement ofl the erator to start the machine, the gas generated therefrom passing through pipes l5 and 15, into the gas holder and raising the latter, the operation then proceeding automatically in the following manner: As the gas holder `rises, the projection 30 thereon operates the tubular balancing device 26 as above described, moving the plunger 21 to position shown in full lines in Fig. 4, closing the car-l bid tube 2O at 22 and allowing carbid to run into the tube from the funnel above the same. Assuming that the gas is `being used, the gas holder will gradually descend bringing the stud 3() thereon against theA overbalancing device 26 as above described to cause operation of the, latter, thereby causing the plunger 21 and closer 22 to move to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. This operation shoves a definite measured amountv of the carbid out of the open end of the tube. p This carbid falling into the water in the generator .tank causes further generation ofgas with the result that the gas holder again rises, this operation L. being continuedindeiinitely as long as the carbid supply lasts. Each time that the gas holder rises, it overcomes the weight of the balls 27, which at that time are at the longer end of the tube and thereby stores energy due to the lifting of the balls. When the tube is` thus brought to a positiona little beyond the horizontal, the balls run to the other end. This is a short end and only gives the ballsv sufficient leverage to complete the upward tilting of the tube,'but on the downward movement .of the gas holder, the moment the tube overbalances and the balls run to the lower end, a strong leverage will be brought to bear on the rock shaft 23 to cause eectual movement of the carbid feed. The lost motion,in the connection between the rock shaft 'and ythe carbid feed permits the initial movement of the rock shaft 23, while the tube is approaching the overbalancing point, withoutl interference therewith due to the friction of the feed, andvthen when the connection is made, the pressure is brought thereon suddenly and with full force, so as to insure full operation. Sticking of the feed at partial cut off and dribbling ofthe carbid intothe tank are thus revented. At each descent of the gas hol er, therode and lever 47 operate through vthe pawl 46 to turn the wheel 4:5l and shaft 43 to give artial rotation to the automatic stirring evice, thereby forcibly depressing or stirring the carbid into the body or mass of liquid and giving mcre'edectual and safer generation as abovev set forth. Owing to this, forcible automatic mixture of the carbid with the liquid, the capacity of the machine for a given size is therebylargely increased, as it ispossible to use a given quantity of liquid longer than or warming effect oi' the wa contact of the carbid with the water as above explained. A lt willrbe necessary, how'- ever, `from timeto time, to clean out the generator tank and an important feature of the invention is that this may be accomplished without substantial disturbance of the water level therein or admission of any air to the generator. l

lt is customary to drain off the waste matter and sediment by opening a drainage outlet at the bottom, allowing the water, accumulated lime, etc., to run off, and at the4 same time admittingair to prevent suction within the tank. This admission of air is a source of inconvenience in `that it interferes with the roper operation of the plant for a machine above described, it is only necessary to turn onthe supply of water to the generator and, removing lid 39, vibrate the handle 38 to cause the agitator 34 to reciprocate at the bottom of generator tank, `thereby bringing all of the accumulated solid matter into suspension andenabling same to be iiushed out alongwith the water, without idisturbing the Water level or requiring admission of any air.

The construction-of the machine maybe variously modified without departing from the invention. For example, instead of a reciprocating lunger for the carbid feed, the vibrating eed device, indicated at 5l, in Fig. 9, may be used, the same being piv oted to tube 20 at 52 and connected by the link -24 to the operating arm and closure 22, as above described, for the plunger 2l. A ap or 'trap door 53 may be pivoted at the rear end of the feed tube 20.

A plurality of generator tanks'may be formed in a single rectangular casing, to-

gether with a single gas holder tank operating Vin common therewith. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 10, wherein 3a, 3b designates two generator tanks connected by piping 16a, 16h, with av gas holder tank 4in, the construction being shown only diagrammatically and the details being substantially as above explained.l

The rectangular shape of the casing is of especial ladvantage'in enabling the generator ico and gas holder tanks to be brought into imf mediate proximity with only an intervening partition, with the result that heat is readily transmitted from either of said tanks to the other, consequently the overheating or' the liquid inthe generator tank by the chemicall reaction is prevented by the cooling effect of the adjacent body of water in the gas holder tank; and conversely,. freezing or excessive cooling of the water in the gas holder tank in cold weather is prevented by the moderating is possible inf the usual machine, wherein tor tank, particularly on account of the heat-` r in the generaing of such Water by the chemical action therein. Further advantages of the rectangular form may be mentioned as follows strength and compactness of form; uniformity of pressure of gas; concealment and inclosure of all pipes so that atmospheric changes in temperature, etc., will not cause condensation or change of the gas, and leaks or displacement in shipment will be avoided; enabling effective operation of the manual and automatic agitators as above described, and cleaningof the generator Without change of water level; conserving an even temperature of the water in both tanks, and providing greater water surface than any other form of generator. The purifier through which the gas passes from the gas holder to the point of consumption being formed as an extension on the side of this rectangular casing and of dimensions proportionate to the dimension of the generator, it follows that it will be properly proportioned in its action to the size of the machine and effective purification Will be insured for all sizes of machine.

The rectangular carbid holder has the advantage that bridging therein is not so liable to occur as in the round holder, and the nature of the carbid feed further reduces the risk of bridging as it leaves a large, free opening at the bottom of the rectangular funnel or inclined fioor of the holder into which the carbid can freely fall.

What I claim is 1. In an acetylene generator, a feed device comprising a horizontal feed tube, a plunger reciprocating therein, a funnel communicating with the upper side of said tube, and a pivoted arm connected to transmit power through said operati ng means to said feed device and formed as a closure for the end ofthe tube, a shaft to which said arm is fixed and means for rocking said shaft.

2. In an acetylene generator, a feed device comprising a funnel, a feed tube, a plunger reciprocating therein, a rock shaft, a closure for the tube fixed on said shaft, a link connecting said plunger and closure, and a lever fastened to said shaft to rock the same.

reciprocating therein, a rock shaft, a closure for the tube fixed on said shaft, a link connecting said plunger and closure, means for rocking said shaft, and overbalancing operating means 'mounted on said shaft and provided With a Weight-carrier and a weight shiftable automatically from one side to the other of the shalt, there being a lost-motion connection between said shaft and weightcarrier. I

5. In an acetylene generator, a feed device comprising a feed tube and a plunger reciprocating therein, a vibrating operating arm, an overbalancing device connected therewith, and a lost motion connection between said operating arm and feed device, said vibrating operating" arm being provided with an adjusting device to adjustl the extent of the lost motion.

6. In an acetylene generator, 'a feed device comprising a feed tube, a hopper communicating with one side thereof, a plunger reciprocating therein, a hinged closure forl said tube swinging toward and from an end thereof, a link connecting said tube and plunger, a rock shaft forming the hinge for said closure and fixed thereto, and means independently of the closure for rocking said shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 4th day of May, 1905.

DAVIS BARNARI).

In presence of l ARTHUR P. KNIGHT.' JULIA TowNsEND. 

